Hero of Time
by ZeldaStrife
Summary: Link has defeated the beast Ganon and helped Zelda seal him away in the Sacred Realm. No matter when, no matter where, Link is the Hero of Time, and he will always fight for Hyrule, and for Princess Zelda. Linktober 2019 Day 07; vignette. Prompt was Fave Character.


Link thrust the Master Sword into the ugly face of the great beast Ganon. Zelda stood anxiously behind him resting briefly from exerting her powers to stun the monster.

All was silent for a moment. All was still.

Then Link pulled his sword out of the beast and took a few paces back. Ganon thrashed about, wildly waving his arms as if in one last act of defiance, knowing he had been bested.

"Six Sages…. NOW!"

Link glanced over his shoulder at Princess Zelda as she summoned her fellow Sages to begin sending Ganondorf into the confines of the Sacred Realm. She held her arms above her head as she called them in the Chamber of Sages, a great light of energy above her. Once she had made contact, she exhaled and then collapsed to her knees, exhausted.

Link ran to her in concern. He knelt next to her and grasped her hand and rested his other on her back. They both gazed at the monster that the Hero had defeated moments ago. Slowly, the form of the giant behemoth vanished and before them was the man Ganondorf once again. He released one final outcry of rage at the Hero and the Princess and then he, too, vanished. He was sealed in the Sacred Realm, far away from Hyrule.

Link released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and hung his head, finally allowing his body to relax. After so much strife, pain, and suffering, it was over. It was all over.

He looked to Zelda, his dirty and bruised face breaking into a smile.

The princess returned his smile, and looked at Link with tears in her eyes.

"You did it, Link," she whispered happily.

Link was quiet as he helped Zelda to her feet.

"Thank you so much," she continued. "I know that isn't adequate for everything you've done-everything you've _sacrificed_ but it's all I can give at this moment."

Link remained silent as she continued.

"We can start rebuilding Hyrule, but you must return to your own time, Link," she said sadly,

Link blinked in confusion. "What-what do you mean? I want to help."

Zelda held up her hand. "Please let me finish. When I instructed you to find the Spiritual Stones all those years ago, I had no idea what I was doing. I was trying to control the Sacred Realm, and…" She closed her eyes ashamedly, not even able to meet Link's gaze. "I dragged you into this, Link. It is entirely my fault for what happened to you. My fault that you didn't have those seven years.

"Give me the Ocarina, Link," she said finally, opening her palm. "With it, I can send you back, and you can lay the Master Sword to rest, closing the door to the Sacred Realm."

"Send me back…?" Link's mind was racing. "Zelda, I didn't fight because it was my destiny, or because of some prophecy. I fought…"

He stopped short, his words getting ahead of him. Link let out a breath, and looked at Zelda, _really_ looked at her.

"I fought for you."

Zelda kept her eyes downcast and somber. "Link-"

She stopped as the Hero knelt before her on one knee, his right hand over his heart. "Princess Zelda, I am the Hero of Time. No matter when, no matter where I am, I will always fight for you and Hyrule."

Link bowed his head in true service and fealty to his princess before standing once more. His eyes welled with unshed tears as he almost thrust the Ocarina in her hand, and at the same time, before he could stop himself, he kissed Zelda. He lingered for a moment before he realized that she was returning the kiss. Their hands intertwined over the Ocarina, a literal barrier between their happiness together.

He didn't _want_ to go back, but he _had_ to. The Master Sword was the final key to Ganondorf's prison in the Sacred Realm, and if it was not replaced in the Pedestal of Time, then he could break free at any point. The King of Evil still held the Triforce of Power in his hands after all.

He didn't really hear the notes of the song she played as the light surrounded him. His chest physically hurt and he felt like he was suffocating as he looked at her, becoming smaller and smaller as he floated higher and higher.

The Ocarina was a powerful instrument, and it did just as she said it would: he was lifted into the air by some magic and he started to feel his body tremble. Either from the Ocarina's power or his previous actions he wasn't sure. All he knew was that he would find her again.

_I am the Hero of Time, and I will always fight for you, Princess Zelda. Please don't forget me. I… I love you._

With that last thought coursing through his mind, Link finally tore his gaze from her figure and look upward. The light became unbearable and he shut his eyes.

Before he even opened them again, Link knew something was different. He kept his eyes closed for a few more minutes, searing the image of her figure into his memory. He knew he wasn't ready, but he finally opened his eyes, and looked at his hands, seeing small, stubby fingers, and palms that were too big. After spending so much time as a seventeen-year-old man, an adult by Hylian standards, he felt claustrophobic in his body as a child.

He exhaled through his nose, deflating. The Master Sword was already replaced back in the Pedestal, the threat of Ganondorf officially sealed away.

"Navi, do you think she'll remember me? Navi?"

But Navi was flying away from Link, up towards a great window.

"Navi!" Link hollered after her.

"Link, thank you for sharing this journey with me. I have fulfilled my mission to the Great Deku Tree. I must return to the Forest, Link," she called down to him. Her voice was soft and sad. "Link… you no longer need me."

Before he could reply, Navi was gone. "Navi…"

The boy was sad to see his friend leave, but she was right. He was not Kokiri, and in no need of a fairy. Link turned away from the Pedestal of Time, and walked down the stone steps of the raised platform, exiting the antechamber. The Door of Time closed behind him, and it looked as if no one had ever entered the chamber beyond.

"It's so strange," he muttered to himself. "Everything seems exactly the way it was, just before it happened. Even the windows are brighter."

With that thought in mind, he dashed outside, happy to see the sun shining and the green grass. He heard the chatter and music from Castle Town, relieved that it was once more populous and vibrant. Link didn't stay for long though in the market; he headed straight for the castle itself. Retracing his steps from his last endeavor, he easily sleuthed past the guards and eventually made his way to Princess Zelda's private garden.

And there she stood just as she had when he first met her, feeling like a short time ago and many years at the same time. She appeared to have heard his footsteps, for she turned around and gasped, looking at him.

_Please remember me; please._

But all his fears disappeared when her face lit up in a bright smile.

_I am the Hero of Time, and I will always be at your side, my Princess Zelda._


End file.
